Improving Services for LGBTQI2-S Youth: Building a Trained Workforce Our Children Succeed Initiative Timothy Denney, MS, CRC Funded in part by a cooperative agreement between the NW Minnesota Council of Collaboratives and SAMHSA

Improving services for LGBTQI2-S youth Our community includes six rural counties in northwestern Minnesota 66,000 people in 6500 square miles. Socially conservative, with small towns and small schools. History of independence and isolation. The “Our Children Succeed Initiative” Comprehensive initiative, 0-21, all children with mental health disabilities (Phase V) Approximately 50 agencies in the collaborative, with one of the six counties as the fiscal host.

Improving services for LGBTQI2-S youth We were mildly chastised in our second year site visit for not having a plan for services specific to sexual minority youth. Our approach to system change is partially built around workforce development initiatives for all participating agencies (and anyone else who will listen). Sexual Minority issues were a “non-topic” in our region. It was clear we were going to have to make this a workforce development topic. Since no one was appointed to take the lead on this, I volunteered.

“It ain’t perfect, but it’s a start” We had no information or tools, no strategy, no specific funding. We were starting at zero with nothing. We had a training initiative in development intended to train the workforce in various agencies to provide consumer-driven, coordinated, culturally competent services for families with mental health disabilities. This seemed like the best place in which to start building a network for appropriate services for Sexual Minority youth and young adults. And it was already funded.

The Not-So-Grand Strategy Step 1: Getting the information and tools. Sexual minority topic presentations at national training events. Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Research from a variety of sources (Google to the rescue!) The result: an “Everything You Need To Get Started” training unit to use in a variety of training events 1. Power Point presentation 2. “Tool Kit” of resources and research 3. The opportunity to build an informal network

The Not-So-Grand Strategy Step 2: Develop training strategy and forums. The BHAG (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal): Train to saturation the entire child-serving community in our six-county region. Initial push to at least 140 professionals in the following sectors in the first six-months of  Social Services, Child Welfare, and Guardians ad Litem  School administrators and school social workers  Special Education staff and Head Start programs  Juvenile justice, probation, and transition providers  Law enforcement and public health agencies  Tribal human service agencies

The Not-So-Grand Strategy Step 2, continued. By adding the training unit to our existing 2-day, county-specific workforce development events, we have reached approximately 100 professionals so far. We are “marketing” this training as a professional performance improvement issue. We are funding the training with SOC cooperative agreement funds, state grants, and training budgets of participating organizations. We are reimbursing agencies for staff time in some trainings as a means to increase participation.

The Not-So-Grand Strategy Step 3: Evaluate progress and adjust planning to further accomplish the BHAG. The current training push ends June 30. It appears that we will exceed our target of 140 professionals. We are working on a plan for the next phases of our workforce development strategy (next two years). This plan is to be completed by July 15, and will include stand alone trainings in sexual minority services as well as including the training in other training “packages.” The trainings will be offered to agencies outside the region.

The Next Phases of the Strategy The groups we have identified so far as our target training populations: School teachers and para-professionals, Primary health care professionals and administrators, Tribal human service agencies staff and administrators, Juvenile justice, probation and transition, Prosecutors, judges, and public defenders, State-wide associations and organizations, Universities (social work and psychology graduate programs) “Back fill” training for the professionals we missed in the initial push.

The Next Phases of the Strategy We are discussing a social marketing plan and structure to create a continuous flow of information to trained professionals in the region. These resources will be extensions of the tool kits we provide in the trainings. The flow of material will also be used to keep the topic alive in the thinking and planning in the various agencies.

What we have learned so far People are very interested in getting training in appropriate services for this population. People want more information than we have provided. Challenging professionals to be the “go-to” person in their agencies seems to be resonating with many of them. If approached professionally, the topic is openly and enthusiastically discussed. Once is not enough. There is a need for “follow-up” services, such as more information (social marketing), site visits, follow-up training, etc.